Art Commission

Art is subjective.

You have the power to make art more objective or defined.

It means something different to every person who sees it. But when you commission a work of art, you have the power to make it more objective or defined--to communicate your story or vision. When you work with our artists, you'll specify form and content, giving direction on the work's topic and structure. But you'll also allow the artist freedom to interpret. We often have the artist deliver two versions of the work: one that closely follows the client's requests, and one that is a more abstract interpretation. Most of the time, the client chooses the artist’s soulful rendition. But in every case, the result is a compelling fusion of the client's inspiration and the artist's talent.

Advantages of a single creative agency

One of the key differentiators to our firm is that we specialize in all aspects of the creative arena; from architecture design to project identity and branding. Advertising agencies are expensive and don’t fully understand the architecture and building industry as well as actual architects and engineers.

Consistency

Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.
--Frank Lloyd Wright

We believe that creating consistency across all services we provide is one of the keys to a successful project. For example, if the concept of the structure is 'opulent modern tropical bungalow', then the bridge needed to create a consistent creative strategy would be heavily influenced by the architectural design concept. Rather than having a super clean, minimalistic logo or website, our approach in this example would integrate design elements and materials from the actual structure directly into the media and promotions.

Clarity

One of the biggest mistakes is creating a website that has no call to action or is cluttered with way too much information. It is vital to always answer the who, what, where, when and why (and sometimes how). If we are your turnkey agency, then clarity is very easy for us to accomplish since we are already knee-deep in your overall design approach. We believe clarity is much more important than persuasion because we understand the average user is impatient and typically does not respond well to persuasion, so often our approach is enabling them to make an educated decisions. We achieve this through clarity and concise messaging.

Lower Costs

It’s cheaper by the dozen, right? Volume discounts is a business standard in just about every industry. Why not creative and design? Since our architects and CAD designers share space with our media professionals, it’s really easy and cost-effective to collaborate on projects. Ad agencies and other creative firms will bill clients for working and meeting with other vendors. Purchasing multiple products from Portales, such as interior design, landscape, website development and video production services will save you money in the long run.

Design Process

Evolution 1

Early design sketches for concept and client review

Evolution 2

Initial 3D exploration model

Evolution 3

Second phase to aid in details and materials options

Evolution 4

Fully developed photorealistic 3D model

Portales is a full-service, turnkey architecture and design firm with offices in San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. Our design agency offers architecture and design packages or our clients can choose our individual products based on their design needs. We have a construction division with years of experience in building abroad in mainland Mexico and the Baja.